Um… Urban, you forgot to mention something.

Hey, Corch, in for a penny, in for a pound, amirite?

Former Ohio State wide receivers coach Zach Smith, who was fired last month after a history of domestic violence allegations became public, was arrested in 2013 for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a charge that was later reduced.

An officer pulled Smith over at 2:43 a.m. Feb. 23, 2013, in Dublin, Ohio, for speeding — 67 in a 50 — on State Rt. 257 at Summit View Road, about three miles south of the Columbus Zoo.

According to the Dublin Police report, which The Blade obtained through a records request, Smith was under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Smith refused a breathalyzer test. The arresting officer wrote in his report he “observed Smith’s eyes to be red and glassy. There was a strong odor of alcoholic beverage coming from inside the vehicle.”

Smith told the officer he was taking his passenger, Kevin Curtis, home from a bar. Smith stated he had not consumed alcohol. When Smith exited the vehicle at the officer’s request, the officer said there was still a strong odor of alcohol. During the field sobriety test, the officer wrote Smith had difficulty keeping his head straight and that an eye test had to be administered multiple times.

In the report, the officer said Smith swayed during the one leg stand test and the officer then informed Smith he knew he had been drinking. Smith then stated he consumed two or three glasses of wine with his wife, Courtney.

Smith posted a $114 bond — 10 percent of $1,140 — and was released to his father, Tim Smith, at 4:20 a.m. Tim Smith declined comment when contacted by The Blade Monday.

That sound you hear is Jeff Snook feverishly digging into how Tom Herman tipped off the Toledo Blade with the story.

There is no mention of the arrest or any of the domestic abuse allegations in Smith’s publicly released personnel file. Ohio State did not immediately reply Monday to a request for comment.

In Smith’s contract, it states, “Coach agrees to represent Ohio State positively in public and private forums and shall not engage in conduct or act in such a manner that reflects adversely on Ohio State or its athletic programs. Coach shall perform his duties and personally comport himself at all times in a manner consistent with good sportsmanship and with the high moral, ethical and academic standards of Ohio State and its Department of Athletics.”

In the termination section detailing offenses that would result in being fired for cause, the contract says, “Use or consumption by Coach of alcoholic beverages, drugs, controlled substances, steroids or other chemicals as to impair his ability to perform his duties hereunder; or failure by Coach to fully cooperate in the enforcement and implementation of any drug testing program established by Ohio State for student-athletes, as determined by Ohio State…”

And that sound you hear is someone in the Ohio State athletic office screaming, “oh, shit!”

Bet those investigators are having fun now.

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UPDATE:  Brett’s back!

Now, there’s a surprise.

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UPDATE #2:  Oops!

Certainly adds to Zach’s credibility…

52 Comments

Filed under Urban Meyer Points and Stares

52 responses to “Um… Urban, you forgot to mention something.

  1. Yeah, but did Nikki and Gigi like this too?

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  2. Hogbody Spradlin

    This story is like the Energizer Bunny.

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  3. saildawg

    To the shock of no one…..

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  4. Borodawg

    Comport………Looks like they finally got the word-a-day calendar I sent for Christmas.

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  5. Argondawg

    2 weeks is not gonna cover this. 2 weeks from now stuff will still be coming to light. This thing has legs and it’s not walking. It is dancing.

    Liked by 1 person

    • JCDAWG83

      I really don’t see how this story has anything to do with Meyer. Was Meyer supposed to fire him in 2013 because he DIDN’T get a DUI? I can’t stand Meyer but digging up stories to show that Zach Smith was a bad person don’t make the case to fire Meyer any stronger. I haven’t seen anyone arguing that Smith was a great guy and the stories about him are all false. The fans, the AD, and the university want Meyer to remain. Unless some new evidence comes out that proves Meyer knew about physical abuse, Meyer is going to skate on this.

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      • Ricky McDurden

        I think it speaks less to Meyer and more to the Ohio State culture as it suggests a continued cover for the misdeeds of Smith, presumably on account of his grandfather being Earle Bruce.

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      • MurphDawg

        JC, to me it speaks more to another warning flag about character and behavior concerns that was ignored. If this was an isolated incident and happened in a vacuum, you are completely correct that it doesn’t reflect on Meyer. However, with this as a precursor data point when the abuse charges happened later it should have signaled an immediate parting of ways. Meyer knew about issues and turned a blind eye for whatever reason, that is the damning part.

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        • JCDawg83

          I’m sure Meyer knew what kind of guy he was when he hired him, he had worked with him at UF. Meyer didn’t care and neither did anyone else in Columbus. tOSU has been winning big and that’s all anyone cares about. The letter of the law is all that matters to Meyer and the tOSU AD and admin. Meyer has shown for a long time that he is not concerned about anyone’s character as long as they can help him win and he is not violating the letter of any rule or law.

          People upset about this whole story are like people being shocked that the Clintons do crooked things. It’s in the Clinton’s and Meyer’s nature to behave the way they do.

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      • ASEF

        It’s not as if this story only matters if it results in Meyer’s firing.

        If it results in mommas and poppas of 5 stars rolling their eyes when he blows smoke up their butts about how he runs things and what he tolerates and how he’s gonna make sure their babies are only dealing with the best and the brightest…then it matters.

        It’s kind of amazing how quickly we’ve flipped into dancing on the nuances of fact sets and “will he or won’t he” – and forgotten how hard and how often this asshole pontificated about the misdeeds of others.

        Andy Staples explained it best:

        https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/08/01/urban-meyer-paid-leave-ohio-state-core-values

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      • lakedawg

        Guess you are suggesting Urban knew nothing about this? Man some people are gullible.

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      • lakedawg

        Surely you are not suggesting that Meyer did not know, no one that gullible.

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      • scorecheck

        Interesting Fact: “Judge that reduced Zach Smith’s 2013 drunken driving charges is a 1968 Ohio State graduate & member of The Ohio State University President’s Club”

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  6. ChiliDawg

    I’m sure this is somehow the wife’s fault as well.

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    • Biggus Rickus

      He says he consumed the wine with his wife. Clearly, she bullied him into driving the drunk guy home despite Smith clearly being intoxicated. Zach Smith is the real abuse victim! Open your eyes, sheeple!

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  7. JCDAWG83

    tOSU should fire Zach Smith immediately…oh wait.

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  8. Yep…. Courtney (110 pound self – soak and wet) held him down and forced him to consume the alcohol… I bet she took a stick and beat her arms until the turned red on both sides from her wrist pas her elbows. Yep… She set him up good and then ratted him out… Oh wait..

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  9. Derek

    Please send this reporter to Tuscaloosa.

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  10. UGA '97

    Next up, Brett is about to release Zach’s Raise amount in 2014. Or maybe he can just retweet the quote “I have always followed proper protocals…”

    Next wee Corch will be calling Art Briles in Italy.

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  11. stoopnagle

    That Zach Smith guy must be an awesome freakin’ wide receivers coach if he can carry that much baggage and keep his super-high-paying in a mega-competitive field job.

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  12. Andy

    The Judge part is a red herring. Judges don’t reduce charges. Prosecutors do. I don’t practice in Ohio, but criminal procedure is pretty consistent on this point.

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  13. Down island way

    Squint your eyes just a bit……FU and osu, smells the same, looks the same…..by GAWD, they are the same…..What a trail urb do blaze. Wait, disguised as a mild mannered reporter for the WWL, ol’ Herby is on the gag order shit storm list…..till further notice.

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  14. Uglydawg

    Right now, it’s tOSU’s time in the barrel. But this “gotcha” thing is going to get worse and worse. (See “Robespierre..The French Revolution)
    This can bite a lot of coaches. We all know many coaches on every level from HS on up cover stuff up. Just like in life. How many of us have buried DUIs? Very few choirboys around.
    And I’m not saying that some of this isn’t very serious stuff..look at what happened at PSU.. That was a situation that was much to late in having light shed on it. And Aaron Hernandez is all I need to know about Corch.
    But it’s going to get to the point to where an assistant coach or player will have to confess to the HC if he farts in Kroger…and the HC will have to deal with it. It’s getting crazy.
    I imagine that riight this minute, some big name coaches and assistants are thinking, “uh-oh”..when all they did was what most of us would have done…reporters included.
    Yeah..let’s focus on the big stuff.
    And DUI type of stuff is serious and should be dealt with, but not necessarily out in the open.

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    • Doug

      I’m curious—what exactly do you think is being blown out of proportion here?

      Surely you’re not meaning to imply that spousal abuse is on a par with “fart[ing] in Kroger,” are you? And you do know that being “named and shamed” in the local paper of record is pretty commonplace for DUI offenders, right?

      I get that, in some cases, the vagueness of university policies can result in assistants, staffers, etc. being unsure of what they’re supposed to report, to whom, and how. But I have yet to see someone whose name is being dragged through the mud as part of this sprawling tOSU scandal who hasn’t earned it.

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      • Uglydawg

        I expected someone to grandstand their righteous indignation. Don’t put words in my mouth..just read s l o w l y what I actually wrote.

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        • Doug

          What words did I put in your mouth?

          You can be as condescending as you want, I’m legit trying to understand what you’re getting at here, dude.

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    • Dawg in Austin

      Except that many companies and organizations require reporting DUIs to your boss or HR (or perhaps administration in the case of a university), particularly when said employers require you to drive for the job. Recruiting being a big part of the job, I can imagine this was required at OSU. How would Meyer not know about this?

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      • Dawg in Austin

        Never mind, the Columbus Dispatch quotes the attorney for Smith saying he didn’t report to anyone at OSU, so if true, it’s certainly possible Meyer never knew. But as Blutarsky noted, that really hurts Smith’s credibility even further.

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        • ASEF

          Lol. HIs WR coach gets busted for DUI in Columbus, and the judge sits on the OSU President’s Council or some such, and somehow Urban never found out.

          Imagine one of Kirby’s assistants getting busted for DUI in Athens and the judge being a BOT member – and no one told Kirby. Or something similar with one of Saban’s assistants in Tuscaloosa. Surrrrrrre.

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      • JCDawg83

        He was never convicted of DUI so having to report a DUI is not an issue. Even in Ohio people are considered innocent until proven guilty. I don’t blame Smith one bit for not telling his boss he “might” be getting a DUI. I also don’t see why Smith’s attorney would have any obligation to report anything to anyone at tOSU unless the school was paying the attorney.

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  15. fred

    Why do Auburn fans wear orange?
    So they can dress that way for the game on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick up trash on Monday.

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  16. 92 grad

    Lol, how many coaches are saying “good gawd, let’s put the ball in the air!”.

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  17. Code Kel

    Some of you people need to get a clue… Urban is in the hot seat because he LIED when asked about it at their Media Days. What’s going to get him fired is that his wife allegedly knew based on text messages that were exchanged between her and the Smith’s wife and said she would tell Urban. If he knew and didn’t report it or do anything about it then he should be fired. Personally he should be fired simply for lying like a rug when he was asked about it.

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  18. MDDawg

    In order for the judge to catch any heat, wouldn’t someone have to prove that (a) he knew Zach Smith was a tOSU employee and (b) that affected his judgment of the case? Or is the perception of impropriety enough to get him in hot water? I don’t know how any of that works. Plus someone above pointed out that prosecutors are the ones responsible for reducing charges, not judges. If that’s true then it really is a red herring.

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    • Mayor

      They’re going to find out who the prosecutor was and try to ruin his career too.

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    • I can’t speculate as to b), but if you think anyone involved in this didn’t know who Zach Smith was employed by… well, I’ve still got some prime Hahira oceanfront property I can let you have for a good price.

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      • MDDawg

        Yeah but thinking it and being able to prove it are two separate things. Besides, we all know who Zach Smith is now but I’d never heard of this guy before the story broke. I consider myself a pretty passionate Dawgs fan, but I actually had to look up who our WR Coach is right now (Cortez Hankton). I used to know it back when it was Bryan McClendon. I even know the Miami WR Coach is named Ron Dugans. But all of those names are somewhat unique, unlike Zach Smith.

        I also did a quick search to see what the President’s Club was about, and it’s for individuals who support tOSU with “non-athletic cumulative annual giving of at least $3,000 each calendar year”. So it’s not like he was donating money directly to the football team. Maybe the judge is a scumbag and maybe he isn’t, all I’m saying is that it that I’m not convinced either way based on this little bit of info.

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        • ASEF

          Well, we know Urban, who promised parents he would safeguard their kids by surrounding them with good role models and high standards, had a wife beater on staff who got himself arrested for DUI, and Urban tolerated some of it and didn’t know some of it.

          This is a high profile industry who uses that profile to generate the tens of millions flowing through the pockets of coaches and admins. When people ask them how they justify it, they retreat into platitudes about building character, education, and molding leaders.

          The frame for this story is hypocrisy. And all the pieces fit coherently.

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  19. Russ

    Yep, no one on the staff thought to ask why a grown-ass man couldn’t drive anywhere for 6 months. Riiiiiiiight!

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  20. Someone first needs to define what “high moral, ethical and academic standards of Ohio State and its Department of Athletics” actually means.

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